Beyond real GDP, innovative capacity is an important indicator of the
economic strength of a nation. By studying innovative capacity and other
indicators of success in innovation across the Group-of-Seven (G7)
Countries, the East Asian Newly Industrialised Economies (EANIEs) and
Mainland China, this book will systematically establish a positive
relationship between innovation outputs and inputs of different
economies. In doing so, it seeks to answer the question - are there laws
of innovation? It seeks to identify the determinants of innovation at
the economy-wide level, ascertain whether these determinants are similar
across different economies, and find suitable metrics for comparing
relative success in innovation across different economies. It concludes
that innovation, rather than being a stroke of good fortune, comes from
research and development activities conducted over a long period of
time, and sheds light on future trends and areas for further research.